Portable acoustic shells provide many advantages to today's performers. One advantage is that performers can be sure of consistent acoustical characteristics as a show travels from location to location. Another advantage is that portable acoustic shells can be used to provide favorable acoustic traits at sites in which the acoustics are generally regarded as poor. A variety of techniques and designs have been used to create portable acoustic shells, for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,630,309; 4,241,777; D304,083; 5,524,691; 5,622,011; 5,651,405; and 5,875,591, all of which are commonly assigned to the assignee of the present invention and are all hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
While portable acoustic shells provide many advantages, they suffer acoustically in comparison to specially designed acoustical rooms. In an enclosed room, designers can eliminate any acoustical effects of the surrounding environment, resulting in a more consistent and controlled environment. In addition, electronic acoustic systems can be coupled with the enclosed room to emulate any number of acoustical venues to provide more realistic practice and rehearsal conditions. An example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,765, commonly assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
While portable acoustic shells provide many advantages, it would be desirable to have a portable acoustic shell that provided the type of acoustic flexibility that is available with an enclosed room.